Field of Balls at Ichigualasto Provincial Park

May 25, 2020

Bochas

Photographer: Eduardo Juliá
Summary Author: Eduardo Juliá 

Shown above is the aptly named Field of Balls found at Ichigualasto Provincial Park (also called Valley of the Moon) in Argentina. These spheres are generated by the accretion of thin layers of minerals around a nucleus that’s made up of almost any material that had been submerged in water. Due to the complete saturation of the material, deposition occurs equally in all directions, forming the spherical masses. Later, the balls were then covered by sediment at the bottom of shallow lakes or ponds. Once the ponds drained, wind erosion eventually exposed them. Sizes here vary between a few inches to about a foot (30 cm) in diameter. Photo taken on March 15, 2020.